CHRISTMAS 2016 - When we think back over the Christmas' past, we often remember gifts given and gifts received. In other years it might be the celebrations, the family gatherings, and the feasts devoured. One thing is for certain, and that is... "As we grow older our Christmas lists become shorter because the true gifts of happiness cannot be purchased." - Unknown
What this really means is that as we grow older, it becomes more and more difficult to purchase one a present of meaning. Buying a present for me is near impossible. Why? If I want it and it is of realistic price, then I most likely have already acquired it. This makes it very difficult for my lovely wife Shelly when it comes to birthdays and Christmas. But this year, she managed ...

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Fellow LDS missionaries, family and friends, I look back so fondly on the two years of my mission that helped shape the way I have spent the last 27 years since I have returned home. Some of you know that I turned 25 the last day of my stay in the MTC and I was so thankful to be able to serve the Lord as a missionary. I wrote at least one full page in my journal almost every day for those two years. About 5 months in, my companion developed walking pneumonia and we spent a couple weeks indoors and I took the time to integrate my photos into the journal and then had the first two volumes bound in leather and titled, "O Livro de Miky" or "The Book of Miky".
The idea for leather binding came when I visited th...

I felt it important to keep this blog thread going about the home being flipped here in Orem, Utah that is currently a very good looking 1944 home, but unsafe. This is the home that shocked me (CLICK HERE TO READ). I felt it important to personally discuss the situation with the Chief Building Official here in Orem. “Who is that?” you ask. Well I did not know either. So I put together a 1-page summary detailing the prime issues present in the home as the result of the lack of using licensed professionals and failure to pull the legally required building permits. Then I headed down to the Orem City Offices and found out the Mr. Bill Bell was in a meeting. I then asked, “Is it a quick meeting, the type that lasts all day, or the type that ext...

I must say that 38 hours later I am still hopping mad at the recent purchaser of a 1944 home who bank-rolled the renovation of the home to place it once again upon the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) market to take advantage of some poor unsuspecting souls. Does it matter most to me that he completely renovated the basement that featured enlarged window wells in the two bedrooms to allow egress, yet create negative grading that turns them into the fonts of living water that still seeps into the home? Oh I can’t prove this due to the fresh paint and carpet that removed all the visible evidences from prospective buyers, but I know that it is an ongoing issue. How? I just know. Or does it matter that the bedroom (and I use that term loosely), that ha...

When it comes to major issues involving houses, with the exceptions of the earth moving and tornadoes, the biggest issue is water. As a Utah Home Inspector, I find that percentage wise, water is the biggest destroyer of homes. Whether it is a flood, a rising water table, a leaking water heater, a leaking roof, or a dishwasher that just refuses to contain all the water inside the wash chamber, water causes major damage to wood structures. With the exception of the breaking of the levy type Hurricane Katrina floods, most water damage goes unnoticed until there is major evidence and damage. It is for that reason that I regularly tell my clients about water leak detectors.
Homeowners have come to expect smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms ...

As a Utah Home Inspector, I found myself walking up to the front door of yet another bank-owned, foreclosed, and vacant property, I was confronted with a sign taped at eye level to the outside of the front door.
“CLOSED TO OCCUPANCY by order of the Salt Lake Valley Health Department.” The yellow and black police tape was also a nice touch. If you look close at the sign you will see that I removed the address, but this sign was posted back in September of 2012. What does it mean? Is it safe to enter and evaluate? Am I risking my health to inspect this home for my client? And what were the causes of the sign placement?
A little history of the sale process would help put you in my shoes. My client was deemed the “Eternal Optimist” by his F...

Happy Valentine’s Day! On this romantic day it is a bummer for those home inspectors who are used to taking their cuddly stuffed animal friends in the crawlspace with them to both provide protection and light the way. I can think of fellow home inspectors Jim Maass in South Carolina, Mike Campbell in Montana, and Jeff Herboldshimer in Northern California who are all going to be heartbroken. You see, Jim can successfully shoot anything that moves, Mike loves the remote freedoms of Montana living, and Jeff just loves new gadgets. But all three have a fondness for furry stuffed animals, and have since their youth. So how could Cabela’s be so cruel as to sell them trusted stuffed animal friends and then have them recalled immediately without wa...

Houses can’t talk, or can they? I know that on the surface it sounds crazy, but I want to share from the perspective of a house whisperer like myself, houses are screaming for help. This is especially true in the wintertime when the snow has fallen, melted, and fallen again. About every 3 to 5 years we have one of those prime house yelling winters here in Orem, Utah, and this happens to be one of those years.
Let me show you a house that is yelling loudly...
The house is mad that its light pink was painted drab grey light green. It decided to open up the flashing joint from the chimney above and allow rain and snow melt to run down through the roof and soffit areas until it could finally strip off some of the paint and expose th...

Fellow Home Inspector Scott Neimann from Bay City, Oregon shared a great photo and asked, “Is this an acceptable method of installing the service conductors? IF not... what are the potential issues?”
As Home Inspectors, the issues found behind the electrical panel covers are usually some of the most important finds during our inspections. Many of the agents and sellers complain about the findings, but we all have to understand that electrical issues cause fires and electrocutions; neither of which is desirable for new home buyers and their loved ones.
CASTING JUDGEMENT - There is no way to avoid seeing the craftsmanship, or lack thereof, of the installer once we remove the cover of the main panel and subpanels. Electrical panel workmanshi...

My good inspector friend, Jeff Herboldshimer, from the Yuba City, California area shared with me a great video that makes me think about the way many inspectors treat their home inspection reports and clients. Instead of speaking simply and directly, there seems to be a widespread use of inspectorspeak attempting to “Baffle ‘em With Brilliance.” You know, look smart by using phrases that nobody understands.
Check out this video that describes the function of a Turbo Entabulator...
You may recognize the item as a transmission. Here is the verbiage that helps to explain the video and how it came about...
Many years ago Rockwell International decided to get into the heavy duty automatic transmission business. They were getting ready to ta...

Tamper Resistant Receptacle outlets are now the norm on new construction in Utah, but most homeowners have no clue about these new receptacles. You would think that in the baby birthing capitol of America that there would be more awareness, but I guess it is up to us Home Inspectors to help spread the awareness.
TAMPER RESISTANT RECEPTACLES - These outlets are designed so that if a child attempts to stick a screwdriver, fork, or other sharp metal item into just one side of an outlet, that entry is prevented and electrocution is avoided. Mothers should be the most aware of these new outlets since they are the most safety conscious in the household and worried Mothers have been the primary purchasers of plastic caps and shuttered safety wall...

Photo Courtesy of Ken Salvo - ASHI - New Jersey
There was a big courtroom battle between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the American Public Gas Association (APGA) that has resulted in the backing off of a requirement that was set to greatly impact the majority of American homeowners regarding residential heating furnaces. Starting in May 2013 all installed residential furnaces in the northern states were going to have to be 90% or higher models. But now that mandate has gone by the wayside, we get to keep the lesser 80% or greater mandate in place. Let me repeat, you will NOT be forced to upgrade to a 90% efficient furnace when you lesser model fails.The affected states are: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinoi...

The following is the 2011 National Electrical Code section relating to grounding receptacles, and retrofitting GFCI’s on a 2 wire circuit. I am posting this due to a question from a fellow inspector. I will add comments below the code citation after some further discussion... Enjoy the read!
Michael Leavitt - Orem, Utah - www.TheHomeInspector.com

It’s a great (frigid) day here in Orem, Utah! I have a long-time inspector friend, Ken Ives, from Sacramento, California, that has always given me a hard time when I referred to a water heater as a hot water heater. Kind of like fingernails scraping on a chalkboard, this has always been Ken’s pet peeve. For years I regularly made him squint when he read my messages referring to hot water heaters. and he pounced on me every time I did until I finally purged “hot water heater” from my vocabulary. Well I have a similar pet peeve, and it deals with home inspectors referring to the walls in residential garages as “Firewalls”.
Is the wall in a home’s garage really a firewall?
As home inspectors we need to write with exactness and be able to bac...

Testing electrical outlets is very important. The selection of testing tools is vital to making accurate assessments. Knowing what your testing device is telling you is also critical as you convey your findings to your clients. So what tester should you use. What if somebody was purchasing a tester for you, which one would you choose?
Longtime inspector from Hawaii, Michael Stewart asked:
Aloha all, Are there any opinions out there on which circuit analyzer performs best in our line of work, the Ideal Suretest or the Amprobe INSP-3?Online reviews seem to favor the Amprobe but I seem to recall the Suretest as being the one to have from some you out there.My bride is purchasing the one I want as a late Christmas gift and I sure want t...

LINK TO VIDEO
Jessica and Dave sent along a new video from Cape Cod. It is a blast to watch, and it is obvious that Rolf and Poppy are now old enough to really be a lot of fun. I think that is what makes their departure to East Coast living the toughest. It was also tough realizing that this morning would have been the perfect Fall morning to take them fishing... But then there is that 2,138 mile separation... Sighhhhh!
I wonder how hard it must have been before the days of Skype and YouTube when the prior generations were separated by large distances. That would have been tough and I should quit my yearning, but it is still tough being a long distance Grandpa.
Looking at Rolf and Poppy repeating the same fun activities over and over and...